Things are looking bleak for the Overwatch League (OWL), the competitive esports scene centered around Blizzard’s popular hero shooter, as the company laid off around 50 employees on July 18.
According to a report by The edgeThe fate of OWL after the current season, which is due to end in October, is in the hands of the team owners. Later this year, the owners will finalize a new operating agreement or elect to dissolve the league entirely, Blizzard said during its second-quarter earnings call on July 19.
“If teams do not vote to proceed under an updated operating agreement, a termination fee of $6 million will be payable to each participating team unit (total fee of approximately $114 million),” Blizzard said.
The Overwatch League already has it subjects
This year’s OWL season was already fraught with various complications. A fan favorite team, the Chengdu Hunters, completely dissolved last June after Chinese publisher Netease refused to maintain it over watch playable in mainland China, according to a June report from GGRecon. In the meantime, other teams have changed countries. The Paris Eternal team moved to Vegas and Fusion went to Seoul from Philadelphia. As all of this was happening, the rosters were completely turned inside out, with the Eternal adding three players to start midway the Midseason Madness tournament, OWL’s halftime ahead of the Grand Finals in October. All of this means that OWL was already in a pretty precarious position.
However, now it only looks worse. In addition to the layoff of 50 people, the viewership isn’t what it used to be The edge. Nonetheless, OWL Commissioner Sean Miller underscored Blizzard’s commitment to esports.
“I just want to make one thing clear: that over watch remains committed to a competitive ecosystem in 2024 and beyond,” said Miller The edge. “And we’re working on a revitalized global scene that puts players and fans first.”
Brad Crawford, Blizzard’s senior esports director of global communications, echoed Miller’s sentiments The edge.
Blizzard still remains committed to OWL e-sport
And in an email to my citya Blizzard spokesperson stuck to the same script as Crawford and Miller, confirming that esports is still important to the company despite the layoffs and upcoming owner vote.
“We remain committed to a competitive ecosystem in 2024 and beyond, and are evaluating a variety of options that prioritize players and fans with a revitalized global scene,” the Blizzard spokesperson said.
However, The edge reported that affected employees did not feel that engagement or support. A former employee said the layoffs were “a complete shock to everyone” and that no one was “offered the opportunity to change roles or change teams”. Many of the main faces of OWL, such as the casters, hailed online the apparent demise of OWL and thanked the league for everything it has done for fans and players.
It’s also unclear what Blizzard’s support and commitment to OWL will mean into 2024 and beyond. And it doesn’t help that all of this is happening as the company acknowledges the dedication and investment of players Overwatch 2 Is in decline. Yeah, it really doesn’t look that good.
